think."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Chicago Cubs recapsChicago Cubs minor leaguesChicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs game threadsWrigley Field renovationsFull archiveLibrary Bleed Cubbie Blue Community GuidelinesCurrent time in ChicagoBCB Specials & Site InfoWinter 2019 music threadsCubs StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Cubs newsYahoo Cubs team pageYahoo Cubs reportYahoo Cubs depth chartYahoo Cubs transactionsYahoo Cubs photosOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub Cubs essaysChicago Cubs spring trainingWho will be in the Cubs’ bullpen on Opening Day?New Nolan Ryan Jersey ,109commentsThis is not as easy as you might think.CSTShareTweetShareShareWho will be in the Cubs’ bullpen on Opening Day?The Cubs’ bullpen at Wrigley FieldAl YellonThe Cubs seemed to have a fairly set bullpen before this offseason began. It was filled with veteran pitchers, some of whom had tough years in 2018, but seemed primed for a rebound in 2019.And then Theo Epstein went out and signed a whole passel of pitchers with big-league experience who will compete for jobs in the bullpen.At MLB.com Tuesday, this article was posted with reports on all 30 teams and “battles” they’d have for positions during spring training. The Cubs’ battle was listed as “bullpen,” and here’s what reporter Jordan Bastian wrote:I count 10 names there for eight bullpen spots, and to those you can add these two, who had big-league experience for the Cubs last year: Dillon Maples and Randy Rosario.Something’s gotta give, obviously. I concur with Bastian’s five “sure things,” and we might add Duensing and Kintzler to that list, only because both have significant big-league experience and $8.5 million worth of contract between them. On the other hand, Theo Epstein didn’t sign Barnette and Cedeno, both of whom also have significant big-league experience, to not have them in the pen when the season begins.It turns out, according to AZ Phil at The Cub Reporter Rougned Odor Jersey , that Barnette has options remaining. A note on that site says:Article XIX-A refers to the fact that Barnette, even though he went through the MLB draft and was in the Diamondbacks’ system for four years, is considered an “international player” since he was signed by the Rangers in 2016 after he played six years in Japan’s NPB. Now, would Barnette refuse such an assignment? Impossible to tell at this point.It’s possible, I suppose, that the Cubs will let Duensing and Kintzler go at the end of spring training if they don’t show well. Or, if they do show well, it’s possible they could be traded.Regarding Chatwood, I suppose we simply don’t know what will happen with him. He simply can’t be on the 25-man roster if he’s going to pitch the way he did in 2018. On the other hand, maybe he’s fixed things. He does have good stuff and was a reasonably effective pitcher with the Rockies. Perhaps if he has a good spring, the Cubs can deal him somewhere. They’d likely have to eat some of the money, but that’s a better outcome than eating all of the $25 million they owe him.So while the Cubs’ starting rotation and position-player lineup seem set, pay close attention to all of these relievers (not to mention the other 23 pitchers in camp) and how they are used during spring games. There might be more than one the Cubs are putting on display for scouts. Another top prospect list"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Red Sox StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Red Sox NewsYahoo Red Sox Team PageYahoo Red Sox ReportYahoo Red Sox Depth ChartYahoo Red Sox TransactionsYahoo Red Sox PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昍ed Sox MinorsBobby Dalbec tops Baseball Prospectus’ top Red Sox prospects listNew,5commentsAnother top prospect listESTShareTweetShareShareBobby Dalbec tops Baseball Prospectus’ top Red Sox prospects listBobby DalbecKelly O’Connor; https://sittingstill.smugmug.comAnother day http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , another top prospect list. Baseball Prospectus has been running through their top ten prospects for every team in baseball over the last few months, and today was the end of that run with the World Champs. You can see the list here. BP has been a bit lower on Red Sox guys for a couple of years now, though it’s hard to blame them considering....*gestures at the farm system in general.* Still, there has been a lack of consensus among most lists at the top, and that continues here. Before we get into it, just like with Keith Law’s list this one is behind a paywall. Because of that, we won’t really go into the write-ups too much. Here’s their top ten.Bobby DalbecMichael ChavisTriston CasasTanner HouckDurbin FeltmanJay GroomeDarwinzon HernandezBryan MataMike ShawarynNick DeckerDalbec finds himself back at the top of a Red Sox list just ahead of Chavis and Casas. We’ve had this discussion many times, and I’ve been pretty clear that I believe Chavis is the clear top prospect in the system. Still, given Dalbec’s power potential and his superior defense at third base, it’s not hard to see the argument. This is a somewhat high ranking for Houck, though it seemingly has more to do with a lack of interest in the lower-ranked prospects than a love for Houck. They do talk up his fastball a whole bunch and his potential as a reliever, for what that’s worth.The BP staff also seems to be lower on Hernandez than most everyone else in the industry. On the one hand, that’s a little distressing because the positive reviews have been piling up over the last couple of months. On the other hand, it’s probably not a bad thing to have the hype slowed down a bit. I think we may be a little too confident in him Russell Wilson Jersey , and Feltman for that matter, coming in and contributing in a big way immediately. It’s certainly not impossible, but it probably shouldn’t be the expectation.Decker has become somewhat forgotten after missing pretty much all of last season after being drafted in the second round. Casas also missed time, of course, but it’s easier to remember a first round pick. Still, Decker has the big power of the big names at the top of this system, though he’s less likely to reach something approaching that ceiling.BP also has one of m favorite features on their list as they rank the top-ten under-25 players in the system. Often, this can be a better judgement of an organization’s future. The top three players on that list are Andrew Benintendi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rafael Devers. It was a little surprising seeing Rodriguez ahead of Devers, but he’s proven more at the major-league level. Still, having those three on a list makes things look much better for the Red Sox.And with that, prospect season is almost done. Below is a table showing how the system shakes out from all the major evaluators in the industry. MLB Pipeline is the last site remaining, and they’ll put out their lists next week. It’s worth noting that the average column is a bit misleading since not everyone is on every list. It’s just a rough outline.Red Sox Top ProspectsPlayerSox ProspectsBaseball AmericaFangraphsMinor League BallKeith LawBaseball ProspectusMLB PipelineAveragePlayerSox ProspectsBaseball AmericaFangraphsMinor League BallKeith LawBaseball ProspectusMLB PipelineAverage